Evidence before you build

Find real problems before you build.

Use real public discussions to see which problems recur, who experiences them, what they do today, and where those people gather.

Check my startup ideaExplore a market

AI gave you the idea? Check it against real evidence

Free · no sign-up required · results in about a minute

Reddit discussions analysed
8,300+
Pain points extracted
37,800+
Published opportunities
500+

Start with what you know today

You do not need a complete business plan. Choose the question you are trying to answer, and Problem Signal will guide you to the next relevant step.

See what Problem Signal finds before you build

Not just an idea score. Problem Signal separates the problem, audience, evidence and next action so you know what to validate next.

Illustrative exampleEvidence-backed output

Idea checked

A feedback tool for freelance web designers

Moderate problem signalCommercial evidence: emerging

Freelance web designers often lose feedback across email, Slack and docs, but willingness to pay still needs validation.

19
People
23
Discussions
6
Communities
18 mo
Evidence window

  • Recurring problem

    Feedback gets scattered across channels, so revisions are missed.

  • Target audience

    Freelance web designers managing several clients.

  • Workaround today

    Manually copying comments into spreadsheets or Trello.

  • Assumption to test

    Designers with only occasional clients may not pay.

Recommended next step

Interview five freelance designers with multiple concurrent clients to confirm the pain is frequent and worth paying to solve.

Check my own idea

Start with an idea you already have.

A good idea can still be built on the wrong problem.

Before investing months in a solution, look for five signals: a recurring problem, a clear audience, existing workarounds, commercial evidence and people you can reach.

Five signals to check

  • Problem Signal helps verify this

    Recurring problem

    See whether distinct people describe the same underlying workflow problem across multiple discussions and communities.

    Recurring—or just one complaint?

  • Clear audience

    A specific role, situation or workflow feels the pain most strongly.

    Know exactly who feels it

  • Existing workarounds

    People already spend time, money or effort trying to cope.

    See what they do today

  • Commercial evidence

    Surface signs of buying, switching and spending, then validate willingness to pay directly.

    Evidence can indicate demand—not prove it

  • Customer access

    Know the communities and conversations that can lead to interviews.

    Know where to reach them

A promising idea becomes worth investigating when these signals begin to align.

Check if my idea solves a recurring problem

From problem evidence to customer conversations

Start with an idea or market, examine the evidence, find people experiencing the problem, and continue into direct customer research.

  1. Start with an idea or market

    Bring your own idea, check one generated by AI, explore a market, or choose an opportunity from the library.

  2. Examine the evidence

    See recurring problems, distinct people and discussions, current workarounds, commercial evidence and unsupported assumptions.

  3. Find potential customers

    Continue into the communities where the affected audience already discusses the problem and learn the language they use.

  4. Talk to customers and test

    Use customer interviews, landing pages, pilots or pre-sales to test what public discussion evidence cannot prove.

What Problem Signal helps you do

Start with

  • Your idea
  • An AI-generated idea
  • A market you know

Problem Signal

Analyzes real discussion evidence

Leave with

  • Problem evidence
  • Potential customers
  • Where to find them
  • What to ask next

Go from a hypothesis to evidence-backed customer research.

Ready to talk to customers? Read the customer discovery guide

Evidence you can inspect. Limits you can understand.

Problem Signal is designed to show the evidence honestly—including when the signal is weak, incomplete or commercially unproven.

Verified counts
People, discussions, communities and excerpts are checked against stored evidence before they are shown.
Source-linked excerpts
See the words people actually used and open the original public discussion where access permits. Every displayed count and excerpt is checked against stored source evidence.
Problem and commercial evidence stay separate
Repeated frustration is not automatically treated as buying intent. Switching, spending and purchase signals are reported independently.
Thin evidence stays thin
When the current corpus does not provide reliable support, the result says so instead of padding the report.

Problem Signal is a research starting point—not proof of market size, willingness to pay or startup success. Use the evidence to sharpen your assumptions and decide whom to talk to next.

Learn how the evidence check works

Need a starting point? Explore recurring problems

Browse evidence-backed problems and possible solution directions from the current corpus. Treat each one as a hypothesis to investigate—not a guaranteed business.

Browse all opportunities

New problem signals, weekly

One email a week with recurring problems, real workarounds, product requests and the evidence worth investigating next.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Frequently asked questions

What does Problem Signal actually validate?

Problem Signal checks whether the problem behind an idea appears in the public community discussions currently covered by our corpus. It shows recurring themes, distinct people and discussions, current workarounds, commercial signals when present, and assumptions that still need direct testing.

Does a strong problem signal mean people will pay?

No. Repeated discussion shows that a problem is visible and recurring; it does not prove willingness to pay. Problem Signal reports verified buying, spending or switching evidence separately when it exists, and recommends direct customer research as the next step.

Which tool should I start with?

Use Startup Idea Validator when you already have an idea, AI Idea Reality Check when the idea came from an AI assistant, Problem Gap Finder when you know the market but not the problem, and the opportunity library when you need a starting point. Completed reports guide you toward the next relevant tool.

Where does the evidence come from?

From real public community discussions, primarily Reddit. Problem Signal groups related discussions, counts distinct evidence, and links excerpts back to their sources so you can inspect the context yourself.

What happens when little evidence is found?

The result says so. Limited evidence does not prove that the problem is unreal—it may be described differently or discussed outside the current corpus. The report helps you narrow the audience, improve the problem statement or decide what to ask customers directly.

What can I use for free?

The four research tools can be started without payment. Free results provide the core decision layer, while signing up can save reports and raise usage limits. Pro provides greater evidence depth, broader access and the complete opportunity library.

What do you need to learn before you build?

Start with the question you have today. Problem Signal will help you examine the available evidence and continue to the next research step.

Check my startup ideaExplore a market

Or browse evidence-backed opportunities